CAIRO: The tenth and latest report on human rights violations issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (Unami) has criticized aspects of the Baghdad Security Plan implemented to curb attacks in the Iraqi capital city. The main concern was in the handling of suspects arrested under the plan. The report states that arrests …

SHARM EL-SHEIKH: The final statement of a conference on Iraq urged all participants on Friday to support the transfer of security responsibilities in the country from US-led to Iraqi forces. The participants agreed to… welcome offers by Arab and other countries to support the development of the professional capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces, said …

Visit an attempt to balance recent US foreign policy CAIRO: American Vice President Dick Cheney will embark on a tour of the Middle East next week which will include meetings with the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates as well as speaking with US troops in the region. The six-day …

CAIRO: The Ministry of Interior has finally agreed to release the required financial compensation to the freed former Islamist detainees who have court orders indicating their right to financial compensation, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported. Those ex-prisoners are getting compensation for spending more than 15 years in jail without trial, Diaa Rashwan, a political expert on Islamic …

CAIRO: The Shoura Council (Upper House of Parliament) approved on Thursday the new political rights law, disregarding any of the opposition groups suggestions. The amendment calls for holding the People s Assembly and Shoura Council elections in one day under the supervision of a higher electoral committee, the report explained. The committee will be headed …

CAIRO: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stated that more needs to be done to halt the incessant and ongoing violence in Iraq. The secretary general was speaking at the launch of the International Compact with Iraq in Sharm El-Sheikh where representatives from numerous countries have gathered to discuss solutions for Iraq. “There is no …

The highest-ranking Egyptian American in the Bush administration has resigned from her post at the US State Department to take a job with Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, officials said on Wednesday. Dina Habib Powell, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, is the latest in a series of senior State Department …

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: The International Compact with Iraq (ICI) to be launched Thursday at a conference in Egypt is a five-year plan aimed at stabilizing the war-torn country politically and economically. Co-chaired by the United Nations, the World Bank and Iraq, the initiative offers benchmarks for economic integration, increased security and good governance. It was …

CAIRO: An Arab-backed Egyptian proposal calling for a three month cease-fire between Sunni insurgents and Shia factions in Iraq to be tabled at the upcoming Iraq security conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, was met with a less than positive response by the government of Nouri Al-Maliki. Beginning May 3, the security conference on Iraq in Sharm …

GAZA: Angry demonstrators rushed into the Egyptian Embassy in Gaza City on Monday, demanding that Egypt release five Palestinian men in Cairo jails. The outburst underlined tensions over Egyptian mediation efforts with Israel. Palestinian security forces fired above a crowd of protesters to force them out of the embassy, said security official Ali Qaisi. Protesters …

Associated Press CAIRO: British Broadcasting Corp. correspondents rallied here Monday demanding the release of their colleague who was kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen seven weeks ago in the Gaza Strip. About 40 BBC journalists and other members of the media gathered downtown holding posters urging the release of Alan Johnston, who was abducted on March 12. …

CAIRO: On Monday April 30, the Supreme Security Prosecutor s office started its investigations into Sabry Amer and Ragab Abu Zeid, two parliament members affiliated with the illegal group the Muslim Brotherhood. The two members were taken into custody at Menufiya city on Sunday, April 29, during a meeting they were holding with some members …

CAIRO: Renowned academic and director of the London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Robert Springborg gave the keynote address at the American University in Cairo’s symposium on 30 years of political and social protest in Egypt. He described Egypt as hybrid state, straddling both hard power and some …

Egypt to propose an Iraq cease-fire at this week s conference CAIRO: Forty-nine countries have confirmed they will attend a conference on Iraq in Egypt on May 3-4, the official Mena agency said Tuesday. The Iraqi delegation will be headed by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, while most other countries will be represented by their foreign …

CAIRO: The Nozha Misdemeanour court, yesterday, meted out a six-month prison sentence with labour, a fine of LE 20,000 and bail of LE 10,000 to Howayda Taha, the Al Jazeera producer who made a documentary about police abuse in Egypt. Taha, who is now in Qatar, refused to comment on the court’s final decision and …

A United Nations human rights panel on Friday called on Egypt to reopen an investigation into the deaths of 27 Sudanese refugees who were killed when police stormed their camp in Cairo in 2005. The UN committee on the protection of the rights of migrant workers said in a report here that the Egyptian inquiry …

New Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will attend an international conference on Iraq s reconstruction in Egypt next week, the ministry announced Saturday. It would be the first overseas mission for Yang as the country s top diplomat after succeeding Li Zhaoxing who retired on Friday. The seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is hosting the …

CAIRO: Despite popular belief, some experts and media observers do not think that the son of President Mubarak, Gamal’s marriage is grooming him to assume Egypt’s top official position. Gamal Mubarak married Khadiga El-Gammal Saturday, at a family ceremony in the presidential palace. The wedding was presided over by one of Egypt s top government-appointed …

CAIRO: The Shoura Council (Upper House of Parliament) discussed on Saturday plans to set up a committee, to be renewed every three years, which will be in charge of supervising elections in Egypt, and to penalize any political activity based on religion, according to Diaa Rashwan, a political analyst with Al Ahram Center for Political …

CAIRO: Egypt and the Palestinians warned on Saturday of the explosive situation in the impoverished Palestinian territories, which are struggling against a devastating economic and political blockade. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on how to lift the aid boycott and end the deadly violence in the …

CAIRO: Dozens of human rights activists gathered at rallies in several world capitals on Friday afternoon to protest the imprisonment of Egyptian student blogger Kareem Amer, reportedly attracting considerable media attention. Armed with letters to Egyptian ambassadors abroad denouncing Amer’s imprisonment and banners reading ‘Shame on Egypt’, ‘Blogging ist kein verbrechen’ (Blogging is not a …

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) welcomed today an Egyptian Government donation of over 250 tons of food commodities to war-torn Sudan and Somalia. The donation to Sudan is 130 metric tons of wheat flour, while 60 metric tons of rice, 60 metric tons of wheat flour and three metric tons of vegetable oil …

CAIRO: Egyptian police guarding the Al-Awja crossing in the Sinai peninsula on Friday clashed with local Bedouins seeking entry into Israel, and one officer was wounded during a shootout, security sources said. Lieutenant Ihab Saber Mussa was shot during the clashes and was rushed to hospital, one source told AFP. It was not known how …

GAZA CITY: A Palestinian security officer was shot dead by gunmen on Friday after their relatives were told to wait in line at the border terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, medics and witnesses said. Abdelrahman Abu Teir, 24, sustained fatal wounds and four other Palestinians were also wounded in the shootout. The assailants …

HEAD: The Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation and other human rights groups will host a protest at the Egyptian embassy as part of the Human Rights in Egypt Campaign. The goal of the protest is to call the American people and public officials attention to Egypt s retreat from a stated commitment for a …

Egypt and Cuba have agreed to drop visa requirements for each country’s citizens, according to reports by AHN yesterday. Egypt s Deputy Foreign Minister Hatem Aziz Seif El Nasr signed an agreement with the island s authorities this week. El Nasr was also reported to have signed a protocol of cooperation between the Raul Roa …

CAIRO: A military tribunal of 33 detained top members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) reportedly under deep secrecy at Heikstep Military Court Complex outside Cairo on Thursday morning. The trial, regarded as one of the largest military tribunals, was ordered by the military prosecutor on Wednesday following a criminal court decision to release some of …

CAIRO: It is a commonly held view among experts and commentators in the Middle East that Saudi Arabia is the main broker in the region, at least if signified by the strength of relations with the United States. No major unified decision is taken by the Arabs unless the kingdom sign off for it, as …

Associated Press CAIRO: Arab countries will demand that Iraq do more to reach out to its own disgruntled Sunni Arabs before they will pledge substantial aid to the troubled nation, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. The festering tensions between Iraq and its neighbors are complicating US efforts to round up key …